Institute of Health Care Quality and Efficiency Board of Directors – 2/18/14 Meeting

The following is a report from the Institute of Health Care Quality and Efficiency Board of Directors (IHCQE) meeting on February 18, 2014.

IHCQE Goals for 2014
Jimmy Blanton, Staff

Complete the Severely and Persistent Mentally Ill (SPMI) project
Make recommendations to the 84^th Legislature
Establish projects to support improved patient engagement
Identify additional projects to support the IHCQE mission
Support implementation of the State Health Innovation Plan
Develop partnerships for grants and other funds for state health quality improvement initiatives

Workgroup Updates
Management & Analytics
Dr. Susan Strate, Board Member

Goals are to develop a quality set of metrics that are the most valuable across the state; looking at how agencies can collect and share data better; studying administrative simplification; progressing toward recommendations to remove barriers to communication
Presentations at the last group meeting focused on MCO report cards, capitation methodologies, public reporting and data sharing regarding the benefits of collecting clinical data beyond administrative data

Best Practices & Patient Engagement
Dr. Alan Stevens, Board Member

Attempting to put together a group to focus on the Choosing Wisely program within the American Board of Internal Medicine
- The group expressed interest in partnering with the board for a project in Texas
The workgroup is studying health literacy
- Literacy is linked closely with cost of care and savings in care
Pursuing recommendations regarding continuing medical education in health economics literacy

Delivery System Innovation & Improvement
Dr. Patrick Carter, Board Member

At the last meeting the workgroup heard presentations regarding improving quality measures, care coordination outside of coordinated care systems, state innovations model (SIM), price transparency
The group wants to make recommendations regarding preventing incentives for poor care and overutilization, finding ways to connect more patients and providers, and removing barriers to accessing care

Productivity & Process Improvement
Dr. Ronald Luke, Board Member

Looked at major categories of cost to identify a few problem areas; decided to work on SPMI and speech and language therapy
- Will focus the workgroup on these two items moving forward

Presentations
SPMI in Medicaid
Dr. Paul Rowan, UT Health

Patients with SPMI often have high utilization rates of specialty care, difficulty gaining and sustaining employment, susceptibility to substance abuse
Services for SPMI is often fragmented and comes from many different agencies and resources including Medicaid, DADS and LMHAs
Proposing an integrated database of SPMI patients receiving Medicaid and other services
Working to develop policy options to optimally serve the population

Texas’ Approach to Supporting a Statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE)
Tony Gillman, Texas Health Service Authority (THSA)

Ten HIEs will be supporting 90% of providers and patients in Texas
The other area is covered by the white space
- The West Texas HIE Advisory Committee has been developed to identify solutions for HIE in this area and to explore ways to move forward
The state HIE plan will be updated for 2014
- THSA is interested in increasing the size and scope of services, supporting adoption and use of the HIE, empowering patients to use the services provided by the HIE, supporting contingency planning, responding to challenges in funding and sustainability, addressing patient privacy and consent management and answering questions about provider liability

SIM Initiative Update

The State Health Innovation Plan has been sent to CMS for approval
Strategic Priorities
- Transforming the delivery system to models of patient centered care
- Transitioning away from fee-for-service toward quality based payments
- Building capacity for continuous ongoing improvement and innovation
Focus Areas
- Reducing costs and improving outcomes for newborns and mothers
- Reducing costs and improving outcomes for diabetes
Components
- HSE and HIE expansion and sustainability
- Clinical care transformation
- Spreading and sustaining innovations
- Community based public health programs
- Multipayer engagement
Aims
- Improving patient’s experience of care
- Improving the health of targeted populations
- Reducing the per capita cost of health care

IHCQE 2014-2019 Strategic Plan
Jimmy Blanton, Staff

High level priorities
- Doing no harm
- Reducing unnecessary and low-value health care spending
- Improving the prevention and management of medically complex chronic diseases
The board will attempt to find ways to track the difference being made by the work it does
It is important to avoid duplication and instead, collaborate with other state entities that provide recommendations to the legislature

2014 Work Plan
Jimmy Blanton, Staff